Sun Blocker G2 Front Panel for Thule 8-1/2' HideAway Awning - 7-3/4' Long x 5-1/2' Tall

Video Transcript for Let’s Check Out the Sun Blocker G2 Front Panel for Thule 8-1/2' HideAway Awning

Hi, everyone. It's Evangeline here at etrailer. And today, we'll be taking a look at the Thule smart panels for your Thule HideAway awnings here at etrailer. So, I've been hanging out here at the etrailer campsite. We've had our Thule HideAway awning up most of the week. I've been able to relax here, eat lunch, have a picnic.

Now, with the Thule HideAway awning, I realized that if I wanted the most or get the most out of it, I need to use these smart panels that work with it. So, here we have the Sun Blocker and as you can see, even though we're out here in the sun, I don't have any sun on me, so I get to enjoy the shade. So, we have different options here. We have the Rain Blocker, we have the Sun Blocker, which is what I have right here. We also have the QuickFit room, and they all work with the Thule HideAway awning.

So, if you don't have a Thule HideAway awning, this probably won't work with your awning, so just make sure you have the correct awning. Also, this works best with your larger awnings 'cause then you can get more variations, you can mix and match depending on the situation. You also have the option of getting either a front panel, getting a side panel or both. So, what we have here is the Sun Blocker front panel. So, you can match this with a Rain Blocker for the side, or you can get both on the side and on the front.

You just have to make sure you have the right size of an awning. This is the panel for an 8 1/2 foot long awning. If you have the larger awning, which is I think about 10 feet long, you can also get a larger panel. Now, let's talk about what this panel is made of. So, the Sun Blocker is designed to keep the sun out but lets the wind in.

So, as you can see, we have a bit of a gust going through and it fits right through these micro-aired screen fabric. So, we have these tiny holes, still a nice strong fabric even as I scratch at it, we're not breaking into it or tearing into it, but it's still open enough to let that gust in. So, the micro-aired screen kind of feels like a rubberized fabric. Sort of what you'd have in a shelf liner with the holes as well as that rubber texture. But as you go down to the bottom, this is more of a waterproof canvas. So, canvas with some laminate on it, it feels like. If you do get the Rain Blocker, you get an extra panel under here that will help block the rain. Looking right over here, you can see where it fits into the lead rail of your awning. The awning fits over our panel, which is nice because if you do manage to get rain on it, it will go over towards the outside. And when you wanna pack it up, you can actually just roll it up and buckle it with these buckles right over here at the top. So, based off of my experience with using these panels, I recommend adding three things to your list if you do wanna get them. The first one is a bag since these do not come with a carrying bag. When you don't wanna use them, you need somewhere to store them. The second thing is to get another pair or set of stakes. You will need four stakes per panel. I recommend checking out where you're gonna go, and in finding the stakes here at etrailer to match your needs. And finally, pick up a mallet as well as a stake puller. You can find that here at etrailer. That's gonna help you out a lot. So, for install, it's very, very fast. You just feed it in through the track and just bring this through. And that was it. That took like 10 seconds to feed it through. Now, all we need to do is buckle it and stake it down. So, there's two options when it comes to securing your panel. So, the first option is to have it straight down, so it looks like a room. And the second option is to use this cord with the nice little tabs on the end before you stake that down, and that's gonna give you a little bit of an angle if you want a little bit more room. Before this video, what we're gonna do is we're gonna have it straight down and we'll use this clip and this cord. Once I've decided which orientation I want my panel to be in, I drive the stakes first. So, I line it up, make sure we're in the right spot. If that hole is gonna be over here, then my stake is gonna be down here. Make sure that the lip is facing you. Once you have it in a spot, you then get your mallet and you drive it down. Now, as we are driving these stakes down, I have a personal recommendation. The way these tent stakes are designed that come with the kit, they're really thin and they bend easily. So, after your first use, this is probably what's gonna happen. You're gonna get a crooked stake. So, I personally recommend picking up other types of stakes. We have plenty of different options here at etrailer. They're stronger, they're gonna last longer, and they're gonna be easier to pull out when you're done. So, with your stakes right where you want them to be, you're gonna set up your cord. So, we're gonna do them vertically. So, we'll have this bungee style cord, feed it through the grommet from the back, so just push that cord through and then pull on that. The next step is to get your rubber fastener. So, this is gonna feed through the cord just like that. Get that through the first hoop, bring that fastener around, and bring the fastener around that hoop. Then pull it tight just like that. Then you're gonna find your stake and then put that around your stake. Make sure that it's facing the other way, so your tension goes towards the back. It's kind of a windy day here at etrailer, so as I was driving these down, the flap was waving at me 'cause the wind was carrying it away. But with them fully fastened down, you can see how nice our panel looks, how much tension it has. It creates a nice quick room and you are done with the install. My final thoughts about these side panels is I'm kind of impressed by how fast they we're to set up. They really are smart panels, and I do like the idea of getting a mix and match. You know, when you get a light rain or a drizzle, you can switch out your panels really quickly just to make sure that you stay nice and dry. Now, these can only be used with the Thule awnings and not any other awning. So, you have to make sure that if you do wanna get a Thule HideAway awning, you're ready to invest into the whole system. That way, you can get the most out of both of your smart panels and your Thule HideAway. And that was it for a look at our Thule smart panels for Thule HideAway awnings here at etrailer. My name is Evangeline and I hope you enjoyed the journey..